


It's Different Here

by orphan_account



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Oral Sex, Slow Build, bones likes redheads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-05 20:13:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1830853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bones working with a new researcher.</p><p>Rating for later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. one

Leonard McCoy was frustrated.  Again.

_Sure Jim, I’ll slow down and explain all of the consequences to cover why we need to review the allergies, vaccinations, chronic conditions and most recent mental eval of everyone going on an away mission.  Right, yeah.  It isn’t obvious at all, and I have all damn day of course, because it’s not like the idiots on this ship go around hurting themselves (and each other) in new, dim-witted ways every single day._

_Fucking space. Fucking ship, a great big closed incubator for every damn disease I’ve ever heard of and hundreds I haven’t.  Air recirculating alien microbes our environmental filters can’t grab, foolhardy crew passing new strains around like preschoolers with pinkeye. The research papers I’ve published on new STDs alone put me in the running for most prolific author in Starfleet medical.  Damn rash, brainless . . ._

He ran his hand through his hair and took a breath, and started to explain, again, even more slowly, and in much smaller words, why he was instituting this new procedure before away missions when suddenly . . .

“Yeah, sure Bones. Gotta go.” And off Jim went after a new ensign in a short skirt.

Another deep breath, Leonard headed back to his office to formalize the new procedure and send communications to the medical staff.

As he sat down he found he had a message from Dr Harris, a researcher he was working with from Starfleet on some fascinating xenobiologic genetic and infection interaction analysis.  She had written to him some time ago and they’d been corresponding ever since.  She had asked him to help with her research and he had been sending her sample analysis for a few months. He didn’t realize he had started smiling as soon as he saw her name.  She was whip smart, made him feel like he had to mentally run to catch up to her sometimes. He had been surprised not to find much when he tried to look up her other papers.  She must be quite young not to have published before, but her work and her correspondence were so mature.

 

_Dr McCoy,_

_Thank you for the latest sample information.  It reaffirmed my hypothesis and provided me with the evidence I needed to move my research to the next phase.  I’ve just received permission from Starfleet to begin the field phase of the project. I hope to know soon which ship will accept my proposal for a research placement._

_Thanks again,_

_J. Harris_

 

5 minutes after Dr Harris’s message Leonard had another, from Starfleet Research, asking if he and Spock would approve Dr Harris to work on the Enterprise.  Leonard’s smile got even wider.  10 more minutes after that message was one from Spock, he gave formal approval as chief science officer.  Leonard sent a quick formal approval from Medical off to Starfleet and then a ‘thanks’ to the hobgoblin.  Not that Spock would care, but he could be a stickler for etiquette at times. Always said that commonly accepted social rules were “logical”.

 

6 weeks later Leonard was standing next to Spock and Jim in the transporter room waiting for Dr Harris to materialize on the platform. They had messaged back and forth almost daily after she heard she was approved to come to the Enterprise. He had been enjoying the correspondence immensely and was looking forward to working with Dr Harris in person. Her notes on their research revealed a fantastic sense of humor in addition to her intellect. He had even been able to shift some assignments around and had an extra Doctor in medical for the duration of Dr Harris’s stay, allowing him more freedom to work with her. He couldn’t wait to show her the lab Spock had assigned them, and he had so many ideas on how to proceed based on the last messages they exchanged.

As the air shimmered above the platform a number of large cases came into view.   Jim laughed, “Scotty, you didn’t put the poor woman inside of one of those did you?”

“Very funny, Captain.  That happened, ONCE, and I believe I was inventing transwarp beaming at the time” Scotty replied, laughing as well.

“I’m back here!” and one small pale hand shot up from behind all of the equipment. 

“Dr Harris?” Leonard called. 

“Dr McCoy? yes it’s me!” came back as ensigns started clearing the equipment cases and taking them off to the lab. There was a flurry of uniforms as Leonard stood back with Spock and Jim.

As the ensigns finally cleared he saw Dr Harris for the first time and his jaw promptly dropped clear to the floor. Standing patiently at the back of the platform was the sexiest woman he had ever seen in his life. Long legs, killer curves, fair skin, wavy red hair framing her face.  She smiled and waved; he and Jim waved back like a couple of trained monkeys and smiled like idiots.

Spock stepped forward and must have been introducing himself, Leonard wasn’t really sure; he was still trying to pick his tongue up off the floor. “Jesus Bones, how did you not tell me she was hot?” Jim whispered.  Ever the eloquent gentleman, that’s his best friend.  He looked at Jim and shrugged dumbly “we always messaged, I . . . I had no idea what she looked like.”

“Dr Harris, May I present Captain Kirk and Dr McCoy” Spock said as he brought her over.

“Captain” she said as she took his hand and shook it, the she turned to Leonard “Dr McCoy, I feel like we know each other already, I can’t wait to get started on our work!” Thank God his body raised his hand and shook hers.  His brain was out to lunch, he wasn’t even hearing words, he only saw sparkly blue eyes, creamy pale skin, and a wide genuine smile.  She looked so excited, smiling like a little girl, not holding anything back.  He realized he was smiling like an idiot again and was still shaking her hand. 

“Dr Harris, let me show you to your lab” Jim angled himself in, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“Umm, Thank you, Captain” she said, looking over her other shoulder at Leonard as Jim started walking her out of the room.

“Jim! Call me Jim.  No need to be so formal, we’re all friends after all.” Jim was squeezing her with the arm on her shoulder now.  “And you’re Jessica, correct?  Can I call you Jessica? Jessie, Jess?”

“Um, yes, just Jessica is fine.”  She had stopped and maneuvered away enough so Jim was no longer flush against her.  Spock and Leonard had followed when Jim led her out of the room, giving Leonard a chance to become nearly dumbstruck by the fact that she looked just as gorgeous from the back as she did from the front. She was wearing the uniform dress too, God Damn he was grateful to whoever designed Starfleet uniforms.

Dr Harris did some kind of elegant twisting move and was now facing Jim, who looked confused to be no longer touching her. “Thank you for your kind offer Captain”

“Jim!” he interjected.

“But I think I need just a moment with Commander Spock to go over the delivery of the last piece of equipment. This may take a moment, and I’m sure you’re very busy. I can’t imagine you have the time and I’m sure Commander Spock can tell me how to find the lab space.” While speaking she had gracefully worked herself into a position facing Spock, consequently leaving Jim over an arms length away facing her side as she withdrew a digital pad from the small bag she was carrying. 

Jim’s eyes glinted, he knew exactly what she was doing but he was also Jim Kirk, and this was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.  But Leonard didn’t miss that her excitement was gone.  She looked . . . disappointed somehow, and a little tired suddenly. Leonard stepped in, finally coming back to himself, “Come on Jim, I need to get your ok on a few requisitions. I’ll walk with you. Catch up with you in the lab, Spock, Dr.” And he started steering Jim away.

As soon as they were out of earshot he said “Dibs” and Jim’s head whipped towards him “Wha . . . come on! You NEVER call . . . fine” he ended with a huff. 

Jim had frequently called ‘dibs’ to Leonard, starting about 5 minutes after they got to the Academy, but until right now Leonard had never, ever said it.  He wasn’t actually meaning to now, exactly; he just wanted Jim to leave her alone. He wanted to make sure that whatever ruined Jessica’s little-girl enthusiasm in the last 5 minutes didn’t bother her again.  He had been so out of it that he couldn’t be sure that it was entirely due to Jim’s advances, but he was sure enough that she hadn’t liked Jim’s attention, and this was the first and surest way that popped into his head to get Jim to back off. Leonard knew that if he told Jim to stop flirting that the kid would do the opposite.  But Jim wouldn’t argue with ‘dibs’, so even though it made him feel like a misogynistic cave man, that’s the tactic Leonard used because it would work.

Leonard hustled Jim off to the bridge and went to join Spock and Jessica in the lab.  As he approached the open doors he heard Spock say, “I assure you Dr, your intellect is the factor exclusively responsible for my approval of your placement here.”

As Leonard walked into the lab he saw her give Spock a nod and say “Thank you, Commander.  I appreciate that.”

The pair turned to Leonard then and he was hit once more by how lovely she looks.  He didn’t remember the last time he had been so thunderstruck, but now it was tempered with the realization that she had not regained the excitement she had arrived with.

 _Formality, she falls back on formality and the work, stick with the work_ , he thought.

“Dr Harris” he started “I’m sorry if I’ve kept you waiting.  I have some notes for you to review while they finish setting up your equipment. I was thinking about that roadblock you mentioned on the 4th sequence . . . “ he trailed off as he went to the console to pull up his notes for her.

When he turned back she looked just a little bit less sad, maybe a little interested in his ideas.  “Thank you Dr McCoy.  I have some notes for you as well on the set of questions you sent last night.”

“Last night? When did you get the chance to read that, let alone to make notes?” he said as she walked over to the console, holding her pad out to him.

“I” _Oh no, she’s blushing?? Ohh when redheads blush . . . Be professional Leonard, be professional._ “I was looking forward to my placement here, couldntsleepIguess.” She finished quietly.

Leonard took the pad and smiled at her, “Dr Harris, I’ve enjoyed corresponding with you and look forward to continuing our work in the same vein.”

Jessica’s smile reappeared, just a bit.

 _Maybe it will be ok here after all_ , she thought.

 


	2. two

And so went the first six months.  Things stayed professional, and Leonard fell for Jessica a little more every day.  She was so bright, her ideas were extraordinary, and they way their minds played off of each other, it felt like mental foreplay to him.  He had never been around anyone so smart before; it pushed his own mind into new and different directions. 

Then one day Leonard came in to the lab, walking with his face down as he read over some messages on the pad he was holding, stopping only when he overheard “I just though it would be better here. I thought it would be my brain that mattered” in a sad voice from Jessica.  He looked up to find Gaila and Nyota standing near Jessica as she sat at her desk. Jessica’s head was down, he saw a tissue in her hand before Gaila and Nyota closed in front of her protectively.

“Uhh, should I?” and he gestured in the general direction of the door.

Sniff “No.  I’m sorry, I don’t want to delay our work” more sniffing, coming from Jessica.

“Drinks later?” Nyota said, turning back to her.

“Definitly” Jessica smiled back as the other women turned to leave.

Once they were gone Leonard said, “Are you ok, Harris?” They had eventually dropped the “Dr” when they talked, but he took his cues on formality from her. He pulled up a rolling stool and sat across from her.

“Did something happen?” he asked.

She looked down, her pale skin showing she had been crying a little.  Her nose just barely red but her eyes showed it, and her skin was blotchy. 

“I don’t invite it” she said quietly. “I don’t know what it is about me that brings it on.  I’ve met a lot of beautiful women.  Maybe they handle it better.”  She paused. Took a deep breath. “I cannot understand why anyone thinks the way I look entitles them to tell me ‘smile’.  To call me names when I don’t want their attention.  When I was younger I tried humoring them, letting them off easy, pretending to be in a relationship.  I even wore a ring for a while, hoping it would hold them off.  It only stopped the nicer ones. The jerks were still jerks.”

She looked up at Leonard then, “I was so excited to come here.  I was sure that everything would be better. And then, even that first day,” she closed her eyes tight, and a tear leaked out,  “I thought it would be like your messages.” She was crying now, voice wobbly and higher than usual.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and took a breath; “I’m so sorry Harris, I . . . I was an ass that day.  I acted like a damn teenager who had never seen a girl before.  I. . . “ she stopped him.

“I know Leonard, I knew after you came back to the lab that you were sorry.  You’ve shown me every day that you’re still the same person I wrote to all those months. And, I certainly find people attractive sometimes, too.  I get tongue-tied just like anyone else.  That’s not what, it’s when they TOUCH me.  What right do they think they have to put their hands on me? Even the Captain did it that first day.  I . . . I’ve walked away from so many jobs, been disappointed time and again by people I thought respected my work, but they treat me like I’m . . . less.  Like my right to exist unbothered is less important than their right to touch me uninvited.  Telling me to smile, telling me what they think of how I look, telling me what they want to do to me. It just, it wears me down sometimes.” She finished.  Looking down, looking tired and so resigned.

“Maybe it’s my own fault for thinking it shouldn’t be like this.  But it just makes no sense to me.”

“NO! No, do NOT say that.  I know you’re tired, I know you feel let down, objectified, but I swear to you this is not your fault.”  She had looked up and met his eyes; saw his fists clenched on his knees.

She reached over tentatively, saying quietly “may I” when her hand was an inch above his fist. “Huh?” he said, suddenly confused. Jessica gently put her hand on his.  “Thanks, Leonard.” She said softly. 

“I’m sorry I can’t understand what it’s like” he answered just as quietly.

“Can’t you?” she was flushed and blotchy still from crying, but he thought she was blushing as well.

“Huh?” he said again. 

She smiled at that.  _God, how is it fair that this brilliant man looks so adorable when he’s confused, s_ he thought.

“We should get to work” she said, moving back so that she was sitting upright in her chair.  He mirrored her posture, still totally confused.

“Oh, yeah ok” he said as he reached for his pad and pulled up the latest stats to review with her.

They worked like that the rest of the afternoon, both becoming engrossed in their discussion.  Something tugged at Leonard though.

“Harris, can I ask you something?” he said as they were leaving for the day.

“Sure, shoot” she said as she straightened up her desk and pushed in her chair.

“Who was it?  Today.”

“You going to go punch them in the nose for me?” she teased.

“Jesus, Harris, no. But I may consider making sure they don’t get the numbing cream the next time we’re doing vaccinations, or even worse, telling the nurses.  Poor bastard won’t know what hit him if that bunch ever sees him come to sickbay.”

She laughed, really laughed, it sounds like bells. She looked like that happy girl again for just a second.

“Oh, Leonard!  That’s awful. And wonderful.” She said as she walked with him out of the lab for the night. “But it was no one special, just some guy I’ve never seen before.  But, can I take a rain check on your revenge-nurses?  Never know when I’ll need it.”

“No problem, darlin’” 2 beats later he stopped. Shit. He tried so hard to never do that around her, but today the formality had slipped.  She started calling him by his name and she laughed and he had gotten too relaxed.  He didn’t want it to stop, he liked this with her; the banter, the work, and now a little more. 

“Um, I'm sorry, Dr Harris.”

She just turned to him smiling, “Oh, no Leonard, don’t worry.  You do it to everyone else all the time.  I realized a long time ago that you were purposely stopping yourself from speaking naturally around me.  You call everyone you think is female either ‘darlin’ or ‘ma’am’, some get both but never at the same time.  It correlates most with how relaxed you are, the same is true for your accent, it comes out when you loosen up. You even have this little physical tell with the set of your right shoulder when you’re holding it in.  I knew it would just be a matter of time until you relaxed around me as well. I’m glad you have.”

“God damn you’re so much smarter than me” he blurted, he didn’t even mean to say that out loud.

Tinkling bells as she laughed again, “You JUST figured that out? Then yeah, I really am.”

Now he was laughing too as they finally left for the night.

 

“Wait, what do you mean ‘everyone I think is female?’” he asked as they walked.  She laughed again, just laughing and smiling and shaking her head at him.

 

 


	3. three

The following day Leonard had just finished a shift in sickbay and was on his way to the lab when Scotty jogged up and fell in step with him, “Dr McCoy, I was hoping to catch you.”

“Another electrical burn?”

“Waa, no, no, nothing like that.  I’ve been sending Keenser into the Jeffries tubes for those sorts of repairs since that last burn.  Nasty bugger. The burn I mean. I came by to ask if Dr Harris was all right.  I would ask her myself but I don’t want to make the lass any more uncomfortable.  I was just having lunch with some of the engineering staff when Miss Gaila pointed out that Dr Harris had some very persistent, unwelcome attention from one of the Officers visiting from that new trade coalition.”

“One of the visitors?” _Ought to make it easier to track him down_.  _And then maybe hit him right in the mouth for making her cry._

They had reached the lab by now and both men stopped and stared at the sight that greeted them.  Gaila was sitting on a lab table with Keenser half in her lap, his face buried in the bright red curls at her shoulder.

“It doesn’t HURT, now stop being a baby and give Jessica your finger.”

Jessica sat patiently nearby, smiling and trying quite successfully not to laugh, a blood sample collection atomizer in one hand. She saw them as they walked in and smiled brightly “I have a bit of an idea and wanted some samples to work with in addition to the human blood samples I’ve been experimenting on, Gaila volunteered to give me some blood, and she volunteered Keenser as well. If I’m right about this then . . . well I don’t want to jinx it, but I think I’ve really got something.” She took Keenser’s blood sample as she spoke, keeping him distracted.  The Atomizer didn’t leave so much as an indent on his finger, but he held it up in front of him and frowned at it anyway.  

The rest of the day passed quickly, after leaving the lab Leonard had one last meeting with Jim but he wasn’t sure what it was about.  This was never a good sign. 

_So much worse than I thought._ Leonard was looking up to the ceiling, exasperated. _Of all . . . is he out of his damn mind?!_

“Come on Bones, she’s gorgeous, and so’s her friend.  It’ll be fine. It’s just dinner, and maybe a drink. No big deal.” He looked at Jim’s smiling face and tried to remember why he was friends with him. _Oh right, kid saved the world. Haven’t I paid him back for that yet?_

Three hours later things didn’t seem so bad. Leonard and Jim had finished dinner with a pair of admittedly beautiful women visiting for another few days, both were from a trade group working with Starfleet.  Leonard was on his second glass of some alien liquor, it was hitting him harder than the replicated junk they usually had, but Jim’s lady friends had come bearing gifts and it would have been rude to refuse. Everyone was laughing and talking, and somehow Leonard had wound up with a pretty blonde on his lap with her hand in his hair when the door chimed and Jim went to answer it.

Jessica burst in like a cyclone of scientific enthusiasm, “Leonard!  I found it!! The blood from the non-human crew was the key and I found it! We can make the vector for the vaccinations adaptive and I . . . ” He was smiling back, there it was, the little-girl smile from her first day was back in place.  He’d been trying to coax it along and finally there it finally was. Everyone had turned to look at her when she walked in and now she froze.  Infectious enthusiasm disappearing fast and a blush rising up her neck at a rate only observed on redheads, “Oh, oh I am so sorry. I thought you were meeting with the Captain -”

“Jim” he interjected happily from behind her.

“-and, I didn’t realize.  I’ll just . . . this can wait until tomorrow.” As she turned to go Jim caught her by the arm, pulling himself flush to her side. He was at least one drink further in than Leonard, amping his natural flirtation level to about a 50 on a scale of 1 to 10.

“Jesssssicaaaaa! But you should celebrate, the . . . whatever, and have a drink!”

She was trying politely to regain possession of her arm without assaulting her commanding officer when Leonard, natural protectiveness level also enhanced by whatever the hell he had been drinking, decided to intervene and stood up, thereby dumping his date off of his lap and onto the floor with a thud. “Hey!” came from somewhere below his knee.

“Damn it Jim, get your hands off of her!” Leonard called as he stepped over his date.

“Oh right, Sorry Jess.  Leonard called dibs.” He let go of her arm and took half a step back, still grinning, “Stay though!  You should celebrate, really.  And we can all toast to your brilliance!” He smiled at her like it was the best idea he’d ever had.

Jessica just stood there.  She blinked at Jim twice and then turned to Leonard, “Dibs?”

“I, um, you see” Leonard’s brain was not helping explain this, though it was telling him that even sober he would have been screwed. She just stared at him, looking angry, embarrassed, and mostly betrayed.

Jim was looking back and forth between them, noticing even through the liquor that something wasn’t right.  “Wait, ‘s everything ok?”

Jessica turned back to Jim, after several more long moments of staring at Leonard.  “Everything’s fine, Sir” she said as she turned and left, both men staring after her. Behind them Jim’s date had finished helping Leonard’s date off the floor, both women now following Jessica’s path out the door, taking what was left of their alien liquor with them. Leonard’s date ended the evening with her friend tugging her out the door as she shouted “SHE’S the doctor you talked about ALL NIGHT?!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!” back at him.

As the door finally slid shut, leaving only Bones and Jim in the romantically lit room. Jim turned to him, “You know when women say it’s fine, it’s really not fine.” Leonard just rolled his eyes up to the ceiling.

 


	4. four

Jim woke up early the next morning to find himself much less hung over than he had expected.  He remembered the events from the previous night and decided that he needed to help fix things with Jessica for Bones.  What would Bones do without him? He was an awesome friend.

He went straight to the lab and found Jessica there, packing her desk.  He cleared his throat as he walked up, she looked up and he saw she had been crying. He also saw that she was moving to keep the desk between them. 

“Dr Harris, I wanted to apologize.  I might have had a little too much last night and I might have been less than Captain-ly.”

“Sir, I assure you, it’s fine.”

“Yeeeeaaaahhh, no.  It’s really not.  First, I know that fine never means fine.  Second, it looks like you’re going to leave, and I really don’t want that to happen.  Bones will kill me, he’s really enjoying working with you, talks about you all the time. Hell, he talked about you all last night.  He’s really excited about your research, and if he’s excited then it’s got to be amazing.

Look, I’ve obviously made you uncomfortable, and that is the opposite of what I meant to do.  I swear, I just saw a pretty woman and I lost my head. Can you forgive me? Please?”

She huffed out a breath and looked down, not sure what to do. He looked so young and sweet, and genuinely sorry. _But Leonard pretended to be your friend and all along he had called some sort of possession on you, like a thing, like calling your spot in the passenger seat of a car._ She hadn’t slept all night, and she was facing the loss of all of her work, important work that could really help people. But how was she going to work with Leonard?  All she could see when she closed her eyes was him sitting there with that woman on his lap. _Should have told him how you feel_ , her annoying inner voice called. She didn’t know what to do, and she was so tired. She started to cry, forgetting to answer the Captain.

Jim came around the desk and put his hand gently on her arm “Hey, no, don’t cry.  You don’t have to forgive me.”  She cried harder, leaned in to his hand.

Jim put his arms around her, letting her cry into his shoulder, rubbing her back and rocking a little as they stood there. He had no idea how long they stayed that way, but she stopped crying finally, took a shuddering breath.

“What in the damn hell?!”

Neither of them had heard the door swish open, nor had they heard Leonard walk in.

Leonard hadn’t slept much after leaving Jim’s. He was awake long before the early morning message from Spock, asking him why Nyota was saying that Dr Harris was going to leave unexpectedly and if there had been some sort of family emergency, and if so could he make sure the appropriate paperwork was filed.  Ever thorough, Spock also made sure to mention that if Dr Harris was leaving as the result of some sort of breach of the code of conduct a thorough report would need to be filed.

_Leaving? He knew she was angry, and hurt. But she would leave?_   He couldn’t . . . well he couldn’t stop her if she wanted to go.  She’s her own person and if she chose to leave then he had to respect that, even if he hated it. But he couldn’t let her go thinking that he thought of her like a possession.  He had to try to talk to her.  And if she wanted to go he had to make sure that the project stayed tied to her, he couldn’t be another person who held her back.

He headed to the lab, hoping that Spock’s message was wrong.  He was not at all prepared for what he saw when he walked in.  There was a case on Jessica’s desk, half filled with her things, and standing behind the desk was his best friend’s back, swaying softly, a tumble of red wavy hair falling over his shoulder and an arm around his back ending in a tiny white hand.

“What in the damn hell?!”

They stopped swaying. 

Both turned to him but didn’t drop their hands away from eachother.  Jessica didn’t know what made her turn to the Captain like that when she broke down. It had been so many months since anyone had held her, not wanting anything, not grabbing, just letting her be. She didn’t want to let go of that just yet.

Jim knew Leonard was attracted to Jessica, knowing Bones he was falling in love with her.  He also knew Bones would not be pleased to find him holding her, but she was gripping his arm and he wasn’t going to drop his hands away until she wanted him to, and the way her hand was fisted on his sleeve indicated she wasn’t ready for him to let go yet.

They seemed frozen, Jessica and Jim on one side of the desk and Leonard on the other.  There was no telling how long they would have stayed that way if the door handn’t swished open again.  Jessica recognized the man who rushed in as the one who wouldn’t leave her alone at lunch a few days ago and she held on to him tighter.

“You!” the man yelled.  Leonard looked over to Jim; accustomed to angry boyfriends showing up to punch Jim he expected this to follow the usual formula. He turned back to the intruder to try to talk him down, or at least slow him down, and caught a fist right in the jaw. 

Jessica yelped and Jim jumped over the desk to get between the man and Leonard.  “Leonard!” Jessica yelled, running to kneel beside him as he slumped against the front of her desk, sitting on the floor.  She gently put her hands on either side of his face “Are you ok?”, her blue eyes worried, a tiny crease between her eyebrows.

“What the . . . “ he started, when his date from the previous evening rushed in, straight to the man who had just hit him.

“I can take care of MYSELF jackass, I do not need YOU to go around acting like some overprotective big brother” she said as she poked at the man, who backed away with each emphatic jab.

“But he knocked you onto the FLOOR” the man yelled back

“Dropped me.  Dropped me, not knocked.  It wasn’t malicious.  It was obviously an accident, he was just a jerk.”

“To you!  No one should be a jerk to you!”

“And you should be a jerk to me?” Jessica asked as she knelt by Leonard.

“Huh” came from the man.  The other woman and Jim both turned to look at Jessica.

“The other day, I was eating lunch, going over my notes and minding my own business when you decided to ruin my day with your ‘give me a smile sweetheart’ and your hand on my thigh!  Now, I’m not saying it was ok for him to treat her the way he did last night, but before you go around punching people maybe you should think about your own behavior!”

“Mr Knox, is this correct? You were harassing a member of my crew?” the Captain asked, arms crossed across his chest.

“You WHAT? What the hell is wrong with you?” Leonard’s date rounded on Knox, hands on her hips, the look on Knox’s face as she yelled at him amusing Jim.

“I uh, well I thought, because I heard that you and Shannon were going to have dinner with the Captain, and I thought . . . “ Knox looked panicked.

“He was trying to make you jealous, Amy” Leonard said to his former date as he stood, offering Jessica a hand to stand as well, “I am sorry about last night.  It wasn’t alright and I feel like a jackass.”

Amy turned and looked at him rubbing his jaw. She thought for a moment, pursing her lips before she looked at Jessica, took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth, “He talked about you the entire time.  I drank way too much because I couldn’t get a word in and I must have climbed on him.  I only drank like that because all he did was talk about this brilliant doctor he was working with and her research and blah blah blah.  I was bored out of my mind.” As she finished she grabbed Knox by the collar and dragged him out of the lab, berating him the entire way.

Jim, having found this incredibly amusing turned back to Leonard and Jessica with a smile. “So, we’re good?  You’ll stay?”

“No” Leonard said, shocking both Jessica and Jim. “She decides on her own, but Jessica” Leonard turned, meeting her eyes “know that if you decide to go ALL of the research goes with you.  I’m sure Spock would agree, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you from here. And if you want to pursue a post on another ship we can help with that. All of this, it’s all yours” he gestured to the lab around them “every spec of data and every sample. It’s your work and it all stays with you.”

“Oh, Leonard” and suddenly he was the one with his arms full of a voluptuous redhead.  He was shocked, then grinning like an idiot as it sunk in that he was finally holding her.  He wrapped his arms around her tighter, one on her tiny waist and one over her back.

Jim smirked at him and backed out, leaving them alone, holding each other and leaning on Jessica’s half-packed desk.

 


	5. five

Jessica had her arms thrown around his neck, “Oh Leonard, thank you.” Pulling back to look in his eyes “no one has ever . . . It’s all fallen apart for me so many times before. I know running doesn’t help, but I couldn’t stay, not if you, but you don’t, you don’t!” And she hugged him, squeezed him, then she leaned back and smiled, her eyes were red rimmed and watery, but she was smiling.  He just smiled back, looking at her like she hung the moon. She let go, stepping away.

His face changed, looking vulnerable and worried, “Darlin’ do you want to stay?”

“Yes. I would like to.”

“Ok, number one, please tell Uhura that you’ll stay. Second, I’m not sure about you but I didn’t sleep last night.  I have to go check in on some patients, but then later, have dinner with me?”

She’s nodding.  “I should talk to Ny. And, take a nap.  Later?”  She looked so hopeful, so sweet.

“Later.”

 

Later, he was pacing.  He hadn’t been specific, hadn’t asked anyone a real date in so long he didn’t even think of saying where or when, should he go to her quarters? She had been tired, what if he went and she was sleeping.  He still hadn’t decided what to do when his door chimed.

He signaled it to open to find a nervous looking Jessica on the other side.  They both smiled awkwardly and he ushered her in.

He took a breath and started “I asked you to dinner and I didn’t take care of the dinner part.”

She smiled back at him “I agreed to come to dinner but I took a nap and I was starving when I woke up so I ate something.” Their smiles grew less and less uncomfortable “I wouldn’t say no to a drink though.”

He poured them each a glass from his stash of real bourbon and they sat down on the couch, sipping silently.  And the awkwardness resettled with them.

“Leonard I have to tell you something” she took a breath, set her drink of the table by his, “I have feelings for you, and it’s unprofessional, but there you have it, and I couldn’t go on not telling you that and-“

And he was kissing her, his arms around her gently, holding her, pulling her slowly closer.  They broke apart for a second, then her eyes heavy, she leaned in and brushed her lips over his.  So light and gentle, just a taste. He whispered against her lips, “Jessica, Jessica.”

And they were kissing again, more, she wrestled her mouth away, “So, you’re interested in me, as well?”

“Interested?  Jessica, oh Darlin’, when I got your first message I was interested, I had a crush on you by the 4th.  Your notes became the bright spot in my day, and then to get to meet you and work with you . . . Oh honey, I don’t want to scare you but I am so much more than interested.”

She kissed him again, kissing over his cheeks and his closed eyes, and whispered, “I have a secret, I looked you up before I came here. One of your papers included a link to a bio, with your official photo.”

“My ugly mug didn’t scare you off?”

“Mmmmm, quite the opposite” she said against his full lips, running her hand up and down his thigh.

“Huh”

“Then I got here, and saw you smile,” She smiled wide at the memory, hey eyes flashing at him “From the photo I couldn’t see the rest of you, but in person” kiss “You’re so tall, such lovely shoulders,” her hands were running up his arms, over his shoulders and down his chest, “and your trim waist” her hands kept running down, parting at his navel and each continuing onto a strong thigh when she squeezed, “strong muscular legs, perfect ass”

“Oh Jessica, Sweetheart” his hands were caressing her shoulders and upper arms as she leaned forward towards him. “Never had a woman tell me any of that before.” Kissing and sucking on her lips, ”You know how gorgeous you are.  Do you know how much I want you?” He kissed her again, pulled her to him.

They kissed like that on the couch, him sliding onto his back, pulling her over him, her hair falling softly over them in wide red curls and waves, her full lips reddening from his attentive mouth. His hands on her shoulders and arms, moving over her breasts as she signed and gasped, hands wandering more. First over her back, her tiny waist, he was torturing himself, going so slowly, but he loved the build up with her, just like their arguments at work, slowly stoking the fire.

He couldn’t wait any more, and moved his hands down to her full ass, squeezing, and pulling her lower body flush against his rigid cock.  She felt him against her stomach and moaned.

“Leonard, more” she said into his open mouth.

“I want you so much Darlin, want you in my bed, want to make you scream my name,” he was kneading her ass, starting to move his hips and rub his cock against her.

“Ooooooohh, Leonard yes, yesss”

He sat up, keeping his hands on her, pulling her into his lap, maneuvering his arms around and under, her arms around his neck and he was lifting her like a bride.  He carried her to his room and turned, sitting down on the bed with her in his lap, still kissing.  His arms now free he reached without looking, taking one shoe off of each small foot, then running his hand up her outer thigh, under the hem of her dress, kneading again, his other arm wrapping around her, his hand cupping her shoulder. She ran her hands over his shoulders, across his chest, as they kissed and kissed.

He moved his hand from her lovely full ass, down her thigh to her knee, pulling her panties down on one side and then the other, slowly, like he had all the time in the world.  He pulled them over her feet and dropped them, “spread your legs for me, darlin” he said between kisses, his voice rough.  She parted her legs a little, and a little more, as his hand moved between her knees, then her thighs.  His beautiful strong hands, oh how she had thought about those hands, from the first day she noticed them when his huge hand engulfed her smaller one when they met.

He shifted her a little, moved her body so her ass was grinding him, she was facing slightly away, spreading her legs wide and he was cupping her.  She was so turned on, she started rolling her hips. He was being gentle, teasing, winding her up, he groaned “Oh Honey, you’re so wet, shhh, I’ll take care of you darlin’” as he kissed and nipped her neck, her ear.

She had one hand behind her, wrapped around his neck, the other was gripping his thigh hard.  He started just rubbing a little more, a little harder with the heel of his hand, her pussy slowly opening under his fingers.  He started to dip his fingers between her lips, just rubbing, one side, then the other, so wet, getting his fingers slick and moving them to her clit. Circling.  His other arm wrapped around her ribs, under her breasts. 

“You want me to touch you, Darlin’? Want me to touch this sweet little pussy, all wet for me?”

“I want”

“Yes, whatever you want, I’ll give you whatever you need, honey.”

“Want my dress off Leonard” and he was tugging it over her head, unfastening her bra as well, pushing it off for her to throw away, and returning his arm to its former position, turning his hand up to cup one of her fantastic breasts.  Her nipples were straining as she breathed hard, and he slowly slid his fingers in to her.

“That’s it, good girl.  Tell me what you need, Jessica.  Tell me what makes you come.”

His voice was so deep, rough, she moaned as he fingered her, her hands gripping his thighs as she ground her ass against his cock. She loved this, being naked in front of him when he hadn’t removed a stitch.

“Fast, rub me, inside, and ohh Leonard, ohh I’ve thought about you.  Thought about you fucking me on my desk, thought so much about your cock. Yes, want you so much, oh yes, more, Leonard give me more.  Want your cock, Leonard.”

He withdrew his fingers, rubbing them fast over her clit a few times and making her gasp and moan before he released his arm and moved her to sit on the bed.  “Touch yourself for me, sweetheart.”

He stood in front of her, she opened her legs wide and started circling her clit.  His knees were weak from the sight of her, completely naked, beautiful white skin, messy red hair, magnificent full breasts with hard pink nipples, and her pussy so pink and slick as she touched it.

He stripped his shirt and shoes quickly as she watched him.  He leaned over to take off his socks, and as he finished he dropped to his knees leaned in and started licking her.  “Oh Leonard FUCK” she cried as his tongue circled.

“Mmmmm” his moan rumbling against her cunt. She scooted back on the bed, “now, now.”

He stood and unfastened his trousers, pushing them down, standing naked as he moved onto the bed, dropping his head to suckle her breasts, making her cry out and arch and grab at him.  She got her hands onto his firm ass and pulled, knocking him forward but scooting herself over then rolling him onto his back. “Want to ride you” she said in his ear, making him groan as she moved onto him, swinging her leg over his hips and sitting up. 

“Oh darlin, honey, anything you want, anything.” As she sat up he was dumbstruck. She’s so beautiful, so sexy, her pale skin almost translucent in places, over her hip bones, and he moved his hands over these spots, over her breasts, fascinated by her, by the contrast of his tanned hands and arms against her.

She put her hand onto his cock and pumped him, playing with ridge below the head, laughing and smiling as he gasped. She moved, holding him still, then sinking down, throwing her head back, a throaty laugh from her open mouth, his hands continuing to roam, over breasts, rubbing her nipples, she started to move, faster and faster, rolling her hips and clenching, rising and plunging, over and over and over.

“Oh Leonard, of your feel so good.” He moved his hands to her hips, helping pull her harder and harder onto him, rolling his hips up.

“Fuck Jessica, honey, yes.  That’s it, good god, honey.”

She put her hands on his chest, playing with his chest hair, resting some of her weight in her arms, riding harder with her hips, his hard cock was hitting her just right, her round breasts bouncing, pushed forward by her upper arms.

“Ohh, oh honey, Jessica, Jessica, that’s, god damn”

“Yes, Leonard, AHHHHH, YESYESYES” her orgasm making her pussy spasm, her body shaking, her moans and cries dissolving into that sexy throaty laugh, her face smiling down at him, looking flushed and totally free.  He was coming, coming so hard, it had built and built and then hit like a punch when he felt her pussy spasm around him, she was riding it out, breasts bouncing, smiling and open.  He finally collapsed back, reaching around her and pulling her down on top of him, kissing her, hands on her beautiful ass, pulling her against him once more, rolling his hips, enjoying the aftershocks, then rubbing her back, ghosting gently over the sides of her full breasts. 

“Jessica” he whispered once more as she smiled, eyes sparkly and dropped her head to his chest. 

“Mmmm, Leonard” she said as her eyes closed, and she started to doze off with a smile on her face.

Leonard lay awake holding her to him, once again grinning like an idiot. 


	6. six

 “What do you like?”

“Hmmmm?”

“In bed, what do you like?”  She was still on top of him, had been dozing in and out but she hadn’t moved, his arms still around her, holding her in place, hands sometimes ghosting over her back or into her hair. 

“Well I liked that just fine” smirking, not smiling, smirking.  She pinched him.

“That was a first time.  And it was lovely.  But we, Dr, are going to have many more times.” She raised her head to look at his face.

“Darlin’, I’m not a young man anymore-“

She giggled, “I don’t mean right now. I mean, in my book we are now seeing each other.  I anticipate that we are going to see each other exclusively.  Do you feel the same?”

Smirking again, “Yes, ma’am.”

“You call me ma’am again and I’ll do worse than pinch you.”

The smirk got even bigger, “Yes, Dr?”

“Better.”  She laid her head back onto his torso, swirling her fingers in front of her face in his chest hair.

“Tell me, what sorts of things do you like.”

“I’m partial to redheads who are smarter than I am.”

She giggled again

“I also very much liked seeing you sit on the edge on my bed and touch yourself.” His voice a little gravely, cock twitching once under her belly.

“Mmmm, I enjoyed that as well.  Didn’t realize I would like being naked while you were still clothed, but it felt just a little  . . . risqué?  That might not be the word, naughty maybe?”

“Hmmmm, Jessica,” he rumbled, and his cock twitched again at the word naughty.

“What was that about not being young anymore?” she moved to lean on her side a little and looked down at his half hard cock, then smiled back up at him.  “Like the idea of me being naughty, do you?”

“You’re proving every commonly held myth about redheads and sex, you know that don’t you?”  He smiled at her fondly, hand carding through her hair.

She just laughed, looked back down his body, skimming her hand along from his shoulder, over one strong pec, down his belly and then over to a hip bone and down onto his thigh.  “You are quite the tall drink of water Leonard McCoy.”   

“Don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of a lady giving me such compliments before.”  He was preening inside; Jessica was one of the smartest people he had ever met, and easily the sexiest, and he had never before had a woman laying in his bed and admiring him. 

She slid over so she was fully on the bed next to his side, then slid down a bit, kissing along his ribs, onto his stomach, and onto the front of one hip.  “Well that’s a shame.” She tossed her hair, some of the silky strands brushing across him, causing another twitch.  She leaned over while keeping her eyes on his and started to give just a few soft teasing kisses to his cock, barely touching, causing it to twitch again. “Because you do have a beautiful cock, and I believe you should be aware.”

 “Jessica” he said like a warning, but he was smiling all the while.

“Haven’t gotten to know you properly, yet.” She moved between his legs, using her hands to move them apart at his knees and then settling in between before she leaned in and started to lick.  He went from partially hard to completely rigid under her tongue. 

“Oh Jesus, Darlin’” his shoulders lifted off of the bed as she gently eased the head of his cock into her mouth.  He was half sitting, looking down and watching her. God, he loved seeing her like this, seeing her beautiful full lips stretching around him.  He moved one hand to her hair, gathering it and holding it away from her face so he could watch.  She started to move, sucking harder and dropping further down the shaft before bobbing her head back up, her tongue swirling and licking constantly, then finally letting him into her throat as she swallowed.

He was moaning, gasping, his deep voice crying out, “Jessica, please, honey, fuck!”

She lifted her mouth off and her lips were swollen, and she smiled up at him.  A second later she squealed as she was tossed over onto her back and he was between her legs, hard cock pushing in.

“This what you wanted, honey?   Wanted me to fuck you.”

“Oh God, Leonard, yes.”

“Tell me, Darlin’”

“Hard, want you to fuck me hard.”

He groaned as he gathered her wrists in his hands, held them next to her head and started thrusting, hard, twisting and snapping his hips, moving fast.

“FUCK, YES, Leonard YES YES”

“That what you wanted, wanted me fucking you, bad girl, gonna come for me, honey?”

Jessica just wailed, her body shaking, it was so good, so good, but not there yet.

“More, Leonard!  Fuck, more” She tossed her head, wrapped her legs higher around him, he let go of her wrists and got his arms under her legs, opening her wide, her legs settled in at his elbows.  He was up on his knees, thrusting hard and deep, “Touch yourself, rub your clit for me, good girl, fuck, that’s it honey, that’s it, I’ll give it to you, give you a hard cock, fuck Jessica, fuck.”

The roughness, the words, intellectually she knew why it worked, but ohhhhh fuck did it ever work. She barely had to circle her clit with her fingers and she was coming, coming hard and screaming.

“Good girl, yes, take it darlin”

She was so sensitive, every rub of his body against hers sending jolts of aftershock, and he wasn’t slowing down, he kept thrusting, kept fucking her, holding on to her hips now, thrusting into her pussy while moving her on his cock with his hands.  She clenched hard around him, and then his face contorted, his body seized, and he was coming into her, thrusting again and again, slower, thrusts going shallow before he opened his eyes, looked at her face, her swollen lips.  “Oh Jesus, darlin, god damn.” As he collapsed to her right, holding her hips, keeping his softening cock in her pussy as he lay on his side. 

She touched his sweaty forehead, smiled tiredly at him, “I’ll give you whatever you want, too.” and she patted his cheek, and closed her eyes as he pulled her close, kissing her once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please let me know what you think. I just started writing and I'd like to improve.

**Author's Note:**

> Because I love the idea of Karl Urban as McCoy with a super smart Christina Hendricks.


End file.
